Moment of weakness
by Hybrid Wayward Dragon
Summary: One-shot reaction to Rebekah leaving after 1.16. Introspective for the most part with Klaus and Elijah brotherly fluff at the end. Rated T for safety. I know its kinda late to post a one shot for a season one episode but I'm new to the fandom. Give it a chance?
**Hey so this is my first foray into The Originals fanfic. I only recently started watching the Vamp diaries and fell in love with a grand total of four characters, Damon Alaric, Klaus and Elijah. Since I only started last month and have exams I've only been able to see 4 season of vamp diaries and until like 1.18 of the originals. I felt like we were sorely lacking in reaction fics to 1.16 and since I cried myself to sleep after watching it, I wrote my own and how I wish it had ended. I know we're on season 3 now and this is comparitively late but give it a chance?**

A thousand years of this miserable existence and he could only laugh bitterly at the irony. In their attempt to protect them from monsters, his parents had instead created new ones. Monsters that had been broken so utterly over the years that they, despite Elijah's continued belief, were far beyond the point of redemption, if indeed they had ever been capable of it.

He had been called many things over the course of his unnaturally long life, a beast, an obomination, an uncaring, unfeeling bastard. On one memorable occasion, even a "narcissistic wanker" if he recalled his sister's words correctly.

A sad soft chuckle escaped his lips as he thought of her. Rebekah could always come up with the most creative insults, even back when they were alive. She had always been a force to be reckoned with. He admired that about her even as her rash decisions and poor choices annoyed him with their sheer idiocy whenever she let her heart rule her head. He loved his sister, how could he not? No matter what she did or however much she hated him, he cared for her much more than she ever realised. Despite her betrayal, the thought of actually killing her never once crossed his mind. Marcel, on the other hand, he would happily rip to pieces. He hadn't been lying when he said he had loved and mourned him like a son. His betrayal hurt as well considering all they had been through together. Rebekah, however, was his little sister. Killing her was never an option.

It pained him to realise what they had all been brought to, him and Rebekah broken beyond repair and Elijah doing his best to hold them together never truly realising just how shattered they were.

It pained him, but it was true. He could never go back to being that same little boy who gave his younger sister toy knights so she too could be brave and the boy who taught her how to properly hold a sword because her fiery spirit refused to be tamed. Nor could she go back to being that same innocent girl who was so quick to laugh and make others laugh too.

That was why he had to let her go. Watch her walk away like he had always feared she would, not knowing when he would see her again. And it was a 'when' not an 'if' because never seeing his baby sister again was not an option, even if he had to track her down and drop in unannounced in a few hundred years.

As he undid the latch on the ornate wooden box, he allowed himself a single moment of weakness as he gazed upon the tiny wooden knight he had given his sister so long ago. Klaus sincerely hoped his daughter inherited some of her aunt's fire. He had a feeling it would serve her well.

The Original Hybrid broke a little more inside as three words played themselves in his head. Always and forever. A simple pact that had bound the three of them through the long years, held them together even through the anger and bitterness and betrayal. Three small words that had staved off the darkness from filling up their hearts completely for a little while longer because it was always there to fall back on, inspite of everything that had happened. Just three words that had ensured their willingness to drop everything at a moment's notice and devote everything to helping their sibling, whatever it took. Now they were exactly that, words. Words spoken by frightened children who knew no better and still held onto a glimmer of hope for a better life.

A hand shaking with suppressed sorrow and rage at what they had become, what they had been made into by their father, raised a glass of bourbon to trembling lips. Klaus began to set the empty glass down before, his emotions finally caught up to him in a tidal wave he couldn't ignore. The tumbler smashed against the opposing wall, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces. Grief and rage overtook him and in a haze he threw a chair accross the room as well. Upturning the table, he felt something akin to grim satisfaction when it caused a dent in the wall before breaking.

He wreaked havoc around the room, dark amusement pouring through him as he thought of how displeased Elijah would be when he saw the mess. But thoughts of his brother only brought back memories of his sister. First one, two, then a dozen and he was suddenly assaulted by memories of his baby sister. Hundreds, thousands of images of her, laughing, screaming, crying, but always there if he needed her and even if he didn't. And now, now she was gone and there was a hole in his life where she should be. He collapsed to the ground, sobs tearing themselves from his throat, tears streaming down his face as he finally allowed himself to feel all that he had lost within the past few hours.

He did not know how long he sat there, trembling like a leaf in the wind, hugging his knees to his chest because otherwise he may have just fallen apart, the chasm inside him widening with every passing minute as the realisation that his sister had truly left finally sunk in. As he came to, he felt the strong arms wrapped around him and looking up into the concerned eyes of his older brother he spoke, voice hoarse and broken, filled with grief.

"I drove us to this point. Am I truly no better than father? If even Rebekah- how can I trust myself with my own child if I am no better than him?" he couldn't bring himself to say any more, looking dispairingly at Elijah who held him tighter.

"If watching you raise Marcellous was any indication, you will be a far better father to your child than ours was to you." The older vampire's words were spoken with a quiet determination and firm belief but-

"You forget how Marcellous turned against me too in the end."

"It is not the same brother and you know it. Now come. You may plan to spend what remains of the night on the floor but I certainly do not, nor do I have any intention of letting you do so either. As you have ever so conveniently destroyed your own room you will sleep in mine." He spoke in a voice that brook no arguments, not that Klaus was in any position to argue.

The blond hybrid allowed himself this one night of weakness. Just one night with his brother's arms wrapped around him like he did when they were still children. Come morning and it would be business as usual. But their myriad of problems could wait a few hours. He barely heard or understood the mumbled words flowing out of his own mouth as his exhaustion finally overtook him and led him to the sweet clutches of sleep but Elijah somehow did and Klaus' lips spread into a small smile as he heard the reply. "Leaving was never even an option Niklaus."


End file.
